Rubber mounts are used especially in the manufacture of automobiles, e.g., for mounting transversal swinging arms, stabilizers or the vehicle engine, in many and different ways and in a great variety of designs with respect to the particular specific intended use. Distinction is made here essentially between bush mounts for damping forces introduced radially and engine mounts, which are designed mainly to absorb forces introduced axially. The damping characteristic of the mounts is to be set corresponding to the particular intended use. Besides design measures concerning the shaping and the material composition of the elastomeric damping member, it is known that the damping characteristic can be additionally affected and supported by a fluid damping agent accommodated by the mount body. Chambers and at least one channel, which connects the chambers and thus makes possible the circulation of the damping agent, are provided in the mount body of such a hydraulically damping mount (hydraulic mount). The damping characteristic of the mount is affected essentially by the volume of the channel, i.e., its length and cross section, besides by the properties of the elastomeric damping body. However, it is still necessary according to the state of the art, in general, to build a new mount for each geometric variation of the channel. The finished component can reflect only one setting concerning the location and the maximum of the damping. However, because of the many different uses of the mounts and the different requirements of the automobile manufacturers, it is desirable for the mount manufacturers from the viewpoint of economy in the manufacture to design hydraulic mounts such that their damping characteristic can be set in a simple manner corresponding to the particular requirements by varying the channel geometry during the manufacture.
Moreover, it is advantageous for testing purposes or also in connection with tuning procedures if the damping characteristic can be varied even on the finished component, i.e., during the use of the mount, namely, during or after its installation in the vehicle or a machine.
Hydraulic mounts have therefore already become known in which the channel geometry can be varied by means of movable elements actuated by actuators. A special difficulty lies in the circumstance that the moving elements are located in the areas of the mount that are filled with liquid, whereas the actuators are arranged in areas of the mount that are not filled with liquid. This requires increased effort for sealing the liquid-filled areas.
DE 40 41 779 A1 discloses, e.g., an engine mount in which the channel walls can be adjusted by means of a bevel gear, which is arranged in the mount body, is actuated by an external drive and transmits its movement in turn to a toothed ring, to change the channel cross section and/or the channel length. To ensure this functionality, the mount described in the document has a comparatively complicated design.